A four-day training workshop titled “From Backyard to Barangay: Scaling Up Urban Agriculture” was successfully conducted at the Tacloban National Agricultural School (TNAS), Tacloban City, through the collaboration of the Tacloban City Agriculturist Office and the Department of Agriculture Regional Office 8 (DA RO-8) under the National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Program (NUPAP).

During the opening program, City Agriculturist Head Mr. Romelo T. Anade emphasized that urban agriculture plays a vital role in strengthening food security, empowering communities, and transforming idle urban spaces into productive resources, encouraging participants to view farming not only as a household activity but as a collective effort that can uplift entire barangays.

The training aimed to equip local stakeholders with practical skills and strategies to scale up urban farming initiatives and gathered 30 participants, composed of barangay agricultural officers, backyard farmers, youth leaders, and community organizers from various districts of Tacloban City, to ensure wide knowledge dissemination.

Serving as resource persons were Ms. Aileen Quimbo, Judy Dacutanan, and Eddie Boy Valdenor of the City Agriculturist Office; Jose Lagramada Villacorte of Tacloban National Agricultural School (TNAS); and Iamie P. Cantilang and Nelson N. Nicanor of the National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Program (NUPAP), who facilitated the discussions and hands-on activities.

In her closing statement, Ms. Quimbo underscored that urban agriculture is not just about growing food but also about building resilient communities, creating livelihoods, and improving quality of life.

The DA RFO-8 NUPAP representatives likewise committed to providing continuous technical support and resources to help participants implement their action plans, with the training being recognized as a timely and impactful initiative aligned with Tacloban City’s sustainable development and recovery efforts.